The Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations (also known as the Donovan Commission) was an inquiry into the system of collective

UK labour law United Kingdom labour law regulates the relations between workers, employers and trade unions. People at work in the UK can rely upon a minimum charter of employment rights, which are found in Acts of Parliament, Regulations, common law and equit ...

, chaired by

Lord Donovan Terence Norbert Donovan, Baron Donovan (13 June 1898 – 12 December 1971) was a British Labour Party politician and later a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. Biography Born in West Ham, London, Donovan was educated at Brockley Grammar School, ...

and heavily influenced by the opinions of Hugh Clegg. Its report, known as the "Donovan Report", was issued in 1968 (Cmnd 3623).

Overview

The Commission originally was inclined to recommend legal constraints on unions, (as presaged by

Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002), was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979, making her one of the longest-serving female MPs in Bri ...

White paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...

, ''

In Place of Strife ''In Place of Strife'' ( Cmnd 3888) was a UK Government white paper written in 1969. It was a proposed act to use the law to reduce the power of trade unions in the United Kingdom, but was never passed into law. The title of the paper was a rework ...

''), in order to back up governmental prices and incomes policy. However Clegg, by threatening to issue a minority report, persuaded it instead to back improved

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

. The recommendations of the Commission on dismissal procedures were embodied in the

Industrial Relations Act 1971 The Industrial Relations Act 1971 (c.72) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since repealed. It was based on proposals outlined in the governing Conservative Party's manifesto for the 1970 general election. The goal was to stabil ...

. Exclusive jurisdiction to hear complaints and give remedies was conferred upon the newly created

National Industrial Relations Court {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The National Industrial Relations Court (NIRC) was established on 1 December 1971 under Section 99 of the Industrial Relations Act 1971. The NIRC was created by the Conservative government of Ted Heath as a way to l ...

. The

Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974 The Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974 ("TULRA") was a UK Act of Parliament (now repealed) on industrial relations. The Act contains rules on the functioning and legal status of trades union, the presumption that a collective agreement ...

soon replaced the unfair dismissal provisions, as was the National Industrial Relations Court with a system of Industrial Tribunals, since renamed Employment Tribunals. These have one legally qualified chairperson and two lay members, one representing unions and the other representing employers. The present law on unfair dismissal is found in the

Employment Rights Act 1996 The Employment Rights Act 1996 (c. 18) is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament passed by the Conservative government to codify existing law on individual rights in UK labour law. History Previous statutes, dating from the Contracts of Employment ...

Report chapters

#Introduction #The Subject Matter of Our Report #The System of Industrial Relations #The Reform of Collective Bargaining #The Extension of Collective Bargaining #The Efficient Use of Manpower #Strikes and Other Industrial Action #The Enforcement of Collective Agreements #Safeguards of Employees Against Unfair Dismissal #Labour Tribunals #Safeguards for Individuals in Relation to Trade Unions #Trade Unions #Employers' Associations #Changes in the Law #Workers' Participation in Management #Summary of the Main Conclusions and Recommendations

Overview

Report chapters

See also

References

Further reading